I also remember vividly the sense of unity that the attacks spawned. There was a palpable sense of oneness in this country that I had never really experienced before; a powerful sense that we were all here for one another. It was, to a great degree, the first time I had seen the true spiritual nature of the American spirit exposed from the common shock and grief of an entire culture. We are, after all, a rather contentious bunch generally, and it was powerful to see that beneath those differences are a common set of values that transcend our bickering.
Regardless of what the 9/11 attacks have amounted to in our position in the greater world I hope we can always remember the unity that underlies our values. The bickering is especially loud in this country right now, and masks that unity all too easily. So I hope we will use the opportunity of this anniversary to remember where our true strength lies; it is not in money, or government, or arms, or economics.
Our true strength lies in the unity we feel when we are sharing love and compassion freely with every person we meet.